A Chance at Destiny
by HaileyHavoc
Summary: [Previously Lost Ones Found] When Kyuubi struck they were sent away and never seen again. After 12yrs, they've found Konoha and are ready to live their destiny. Welcome home, the Lost Uchiha, Hyuuga and Uzumaki!
1. The Returning

**A Chance at Destiny- Ch: 1- The Returning**

**Disclaimer****: I ****don't**** own ****Naruto**

**X **x x x x x x **X**

"You don't know what you're talking about! The Uchiha clan is way cooler than yours, don't play, and don't pretend."

"Are you kidding me? The Uchihas are nothing compared to the Hyuugas, you ghosts don't know what you're talking about!"

"Don't call me a ghost, you jackass!"

"I wouldn't call you a ghost if you didn't look like one! Have you heard of the sun?"

"Shut up! I just have pale skin; you don't bug Yasu-chan about it! "

"That's because I like Yasu-chan and she doesn't look like a ghost!"

Sarutobi could hear the fighting from his office and although he was curious about whom it was he didn't feel like dealing with a bunch of loud children at the moment.

"Quiet." A third voice silenced down the other two with just one word. "We are going to see the Hokage; it would be wise not to look like total idiots when presenting yourself."

An assistant knocked and came inside the office. "Hokage-sama…there are some children here to see you. The oldest says it's rather important…?"

The elderly leader sighed and motioned for his assistant to let them in. He finished the last sentence on his parchment, placed his quill down and looked to the new occupants with what soon became surprise.

There were three teenagers- a boy and a girl that looked about the age of twelve and an older girl who seemed to be eighteen- what was surprising about them was how familiar they looked.

The oldest girl had wavy golden blonde hair that fell freely a bit past her shoulders with bangs that were brushed to the side. Two large, bright, sapphire-like eyes stood out from her pale face. She was tall and held herself respectfully and with a small smile.

Her outfit was a black body suit that went into a short black skirt and showed a bit of the shorts underneath. The suit also had a thick yellow line swirling down until it stopped right at the waistline of her skirt.

The younger girl was a sharp contrast to the first. She had pitch black hair that was put up in a messy bun with two sticks which let her hair stick out in spikes all over the back of her head. Her eyes were as dark as the night sky and made her already powder colored skin look paler. Her eyes wandered out the window giving her the childlike appearance of a little girl not allowed outside until her homework was done.

A navy blue mock neck shirt with only one sleeve was this girl's top. Her bare arm had an arm guard. Her pants were black and baggy.

The lone boy had a long braid that trailed down his back. A few strands of his dark hair had strayed and now lay over his black headband that was wrapped around his forehead. What was extremely shocking about him were his eyes- white pupil-less eyes with a tint of lilac- Hyuuga eyes. Those strange eyes were kept to the ground nervously.

The boy's shirt was white with a blue vest over it. His pants were blue with a white sash.

"Who are you?" asked the Hidden Leaf Leader, staring at the oldest girl. He was now had an idea of who these children were and was extremely interested in knowing why and how they were here.

The blond girl bowed her head. "My name is Uzumaki Yasumi, a genin of Nakaiyo Village. These are my teammates, Uchiha Takara and Hyuuga Katsuro. Judging by your expression I can safely assume you weren't expecting to see us any time soon Grandpa. It's fine though, we lost connection with Konoha a few years ago and didn't hear anything from here until the Chuunin exam was announced."

_Uzumaki__…__Uchiha__…__Hyuuga__…__Yasu__mi__…_

"Little Yasu? H-How? We thought you were dead! We stopped receiving messages and found that the village you were being kept at was gone…how are you here?"

Yasu smiled brightly, her eyes becoming a lighter blue. "The first village we were sent to was attacked soon afterwards. It was very lucky that we were even able to leave as fast as we were. We had traveled all the way to Nakaiyo Village, a samurai village in which we were taken under the care of the only ninjas. Everyone was very kind."

The Uchiha snorted and the boy nudged her with his elbow in which she responded with a light slap to his shoulder.

"What…What are we going to do?" Sarutobi murmured to himself. What would the Hyuugas say when they find that their first born son is back? More importantly, what would Naruto and Sasuke do when they found out about these siblings that might as well be total strangers to them?

Sandaime sighed and rubbed the frustration off his face. He was too old for this. "This is going to be shocking to everyone. We had thought that you all died when we couldn't find you."

"Well, we're here for the Chuunin exam and we can't go back to Nakaiyo Village until we've become Chuunin. And besides, this is our rightful home," said the Uchiha.

"Yes, you are right. You are citizens of Konoha and are welcome here, but I'm a little worried about this news. We've had a funeral for all those that were lost during the battle so long ago and you were apart of it, we had lost hope. The Hyuugas, the one Uchiha and Uzumaki will be…hard to deal with," explained the Third.

Yasu looked thoughtful, her smile still in place. "I vaguely remember mother being with child, but I wasn't sure if I was right or just remembering Uchiha-san."

The Hokage lit his pipe and puffed a little smoke into the air. "Your mother was with child at the time. His name is Uzumaki Naruto, your brother."

The girl looked to the floor with joyful eyes. She had a brother! A little baby brother! A little baby brother who she'll be able to spoil! She crinkled her nose at the thought. A little baby brother to banter with too.

"Where is he now? Does he look like me? Is he a genin yet? Is he as loud as I was when I was little? Is he kind? Is he a good-

"Slow down," chuckled the Third, waving his hand for her to slow down. "You will meet him soon enough and when you do you can ask him everything you want." He smiled at her excitement, although he was still worried about current events he would have to tell her. Twelve years of being separated from the village involved her in many ways and he wasn't sure how she would take it.

"Hey what about us?" asked the Uchiha girl, Takara.

"Yeah. Yasumi is probably going to live with that Naruto kid, but what about us?" added the Hyuuga.

Yasumi, who was kneeling in between the two younger children, slapped them both in the back of their head. "Don't be so rude."

The Old man chuckled at the display and seemed to hum with thought. "You will have to go to the Hyuuga mansion as you are its lost heir. The Uchiha compound has only one person residing in it, your brother, Uchiha Sasuke."

"I have another brother too? Too cool! Yes, I'll be able to fight with someone! Oh, and you know that he's going to help me prank your ass Katsuro-kun!" shouted Takara happily. He could tell now that she was going to be a rough little girl. How was Sasuke going to adapt to this? "Looks like you're all on your own Katsuro-kun!"

The blonde teenager looked on at the scene with amusement, but had other thoughts running through her head. _I've never heard of an __Uchiha__Sasuke__ but if that is true…_

The Hokage chuckled again. "That's not true. Young Hyuuga has two sisters and a cousin- Hinata, Hanabi and Neji"

…_where is __Itachi_

At that the Uchiha frown and the Hyuuga smiled.

"Sisters…" he whispered with fascination. "How are they? They're younger, right?" he looked to the Leaf Village leader.

_Surely he would still be alive and with his brother…_

Sarutobi smiled. They all seemed very enthusiastic at the prospect of siblings, he was glad. Waving his hand again he said, "They are both younger, but please, you could waste a whole day asking me questions, but wouldn't you rather ask them personally?"

_I'll think about it later, now is a time to be happy._

Takara and Katsuro glanced at each other with happy, completely ecstatic expressions. Yasumi reminded Sarutobi very much of Naruto. She wore a grin that looked almost exactly like his as her eyes shined brightly.

"Just tell us a place and time!" Takara exclaimed.

"I believe here and now would be wise. Kato!" A ninja appeared. "Please get Hyuuga Hiashi-sama as well as Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto for me." The ninja bowed before leaving the same way he came.

"Crap! _You_ get your brothers, _I_ get my father!"

It was a short period of conversation where the young woman informed the Hokage of her team's training before the requested ninja had arrived. There was a tall, prestigious looking man with white pupil-less eyes wearing a plain colored kimono. The boy in the orange jumpsuit had a spiky mess of golden hair, big blue eyes and whisker marks on his cheeks. He looked annoyed at being called in by the Hokage. The last boy had black hair, dark eyes, pale skin and a plain shirt and shorts. He seemed uninterested in why he was here.

Upon seeing the young blonde boy, Yasumi had stared at him, totally captivated by him. That is, until she seemed to pop out of nowhere and glomped him. "He's so cute! He has the family hair and eyes! I bet he has a lot of other things too and," she said, rubbing Naruto's cheek with her own and hugging him tightly, "He has the most adorable little whisker marks!"

Naruto was blushing to his roots. He was angry at first that he had to see the old man about something other than a mission. Now that he was here this beautiful girl was hugging him and saying how cute he was! It sure was his lucky day. "And he blushes! He's so adorable!" she exclaimed, playing with his cheeks as he stood there dazed.

Somebody cleared there throat and whatever cloud of love that Yasumi was stuck in, passed. "Hyuuga-sama…you look alike," she giggled, ignoring the fact that Hiashi would not know who he looked liked. "It's really been a long time," she bowed to him.

Hiashi looked to the girl for another moment before his eyes widened in recognition. "Yasu-chan?"

She nodded before kindly stepping back into the spot she was previously occupying, between her teammates, bringing the attention away from her and onto the other children. The pupil-less man gasped at the sight of the boy that looked as much a Hyuuga as he. "Hokage-sama, who are these children?"

Sandaime took a deep breath. "These three are ninjas who are to take up the citizenship that was theirs at birth. They are the lost three- Uzumaki Yasumi, Uchiha Takara and Hyuuga Katsuro," he stated.

Naruto was gazing fixedly at the girl who was hugging him tightly a moment ago with confused hope. Uzumaki? Did that make her…family? Why was she here? Were they really related? But more importantly, was she going to stay?

Sasuke on the other hand was glaring at the alleged family member with suspicion. He was the only member left, the only survivor! Why hadn't he ever heard of this relative?

"How is this possible Hokage-sama? How are…How are they back?" asked the Hyuuga elder as he stared at his lost son with grateful, relieved eyes.

"Apparently they didn't die in the attacked village as we originally thought, but instead were able to escape to another village where they were taken in and cared for by a family," explained the Old man.

The blonde girl nodded. "Nakaiyo is a samurai village, but there were two ninjas that lived there. One was married and he and his brother lived next to each other. We lived with them and were trained under them. A week ago we had a messenger coming from Konoha to give news to the Hidden Cloud and that was the first time we were able to receive the location of the Hidden Leaf and heard that it was indeed safe. Unfortunately, samurais don't keep themselves updated with the concerns or whereabouts of ninja."

"And here they are now," he finished for her. "Seeing as these three have family here, no matter how disconnected, I think it only right that they live with those families."

"Does that mean..." started Naruto.

"That I get to live with my Naruto-kun!" she asked, hyper.

The Third smiled and nodded. Yasumi walked over to her brother proudly and patted him on the shoulder as he looked up at her in awe.

Takara looked on at her brother with a frown. He hadn't moved. If she didn't feel his chakra she would have sworn that he was a statue. Grumbling under her breath about getting the lame sibling she went to stand beside him with a cold look and her arms crossed. The sign of a true Uchiha.

Katsuro who hadn't stopped fidgeting under his father's scrutinizing gaze found himself in a tight embrace. When the shock wore off he smiled. He had a real live father and sisters, the makings of a family.

Hiashi-sama got back to his feet and bowed to the Hokage. "We will be taking our leave. There will be a big feast in honor of my son returning home." With that they were off, but not before Yasumi could give a proper hug to the boy she had grown up with.

Sasuke had started to walk out without a word, his sister tagging along behind him. "Be good Takara!" Yasu warned knowing that she wouldn't anyway. "Be mindful of yourself!" That Sasuke better be tough or he might get whipped by a girl two inches shorter himself.

The blonde siblings were now alone in front of the Hokage. "I guess I'll just follow little Naruto home, see you Grandpa!" the girl hollered, leading her orange clad brother out of the building.

"Wait! Come back here Yasumi!" called the Hokage. Yasu stopped and entered the office again, confused, with Naruto waiting outside. For the first time he didn't try to listen in to the conversation as he was already submerged in his own thoughts.

The older Uzumaki kneeled again in front of her leader. "What is it Grandpa? Is there something you need to know?" she asked.

He sighed and he looked older somehow. "No, but there is much you need to know," he said, looking her in the eyes.

Sensing the seriousness of the situation, her eyes changed to fit the mood. No longer were her eyes the carefree blue they were before, but instead they were serious and older looking. The eyes of a mature young lady. Sarutobi couldn't help but wonder what exactly happened to the playful little girl he knew. "I'm ready Hokage-sama."

"As you are already aware of, you and the Hyuuga and Uchiha children were sent away for your protection at the time that the Kyuubi was attacking our village." He waited for her to nod. "You are also aware that your father was Hokage at the time." She nodded again, although a bit hesitantly. _I remember now…father was __Hokage__…why isn't he now?_

"When all seemed lost, the Fourth, your father, performed a sealing technique that was able to imprison the fox demon in a living host. The technique, however, cost him his life."

Yasumi closed her eyes tightly. She may not have recalled her father being the Hokage, but she did remember him, quite vividly actually. He used to play with her and she use to follow him around almost everywhere he went. He used to call her his personal little puppy. She looked up at the Hokage and he didn't look like he was finished. "There's more?" It was more of a statement than a question. Her eyes were tearless, but it was obvious that this news was tearing at her heart.

"It was on the same night that your father had decided to use the sealing technique. Your mother had given birth to your brother. Your father's technique needed a host and the only way to keep such a powerful demon sealed is to use a symbol of innocence and at the time there was only the newborn Naruto."

_Little Brother was the __Kyuubi__ host? That didn't make any sense…_

She shook her head. "I'm sorry, I don't understand."

"Uzumaki Naruto holds inside him the nine-tailed fox demon. As long as the seal remains in tack the demon will be kept away safely. He was to be heralded as a hero, a law made by your father, but things didn't turn out that way. Naruto has not had a kind childhood I'm afraid. He's the most pure hearted person I've ever known, but he is still looked down on by many of the villagers as the fox demon himself."

It hurt to know that the cheerful looking boy that was her little brother was mistreated growing up, but things still didn't add up. "What about mother? Surely she wouldn't stand for such a thing! Mother was not some submissive little housewife who would have stood back and be useless at defending her son! She would have been out there getting her message through people's heads! Where is mother?"

_I can't remember Mother too well and for that I feel like an unfaithful daughter. I was too much of a Daddy's girl, but there are bits and pieces that I could never forget. Like how Mother used to keep Daddy in place and when she used to sing me to sleep and when she and I had mindless conversations at supper when Daddy was late coming home…_

"Your mother…died in childbirth." Yasumi looked to her tense hands for comfort.

_Mother and Father…gone…and…Oh __Naruto__, you've been all alone…_

The Hokage cleared his throat and successfully brought the blonde girl out of her thoughts. "As hard as it may be to believe there is a more important issue that I needed to discuss with you."

The female Uzumaki looked to her leader with rapt attention. He hated to tell her this now, to tell her everything he had, but this was probably the hardest and most crucial thing she had to accept. "You've probably had questions pertaining to an Uchiha Itachi when I spoke of the only resident Uchiha being that of a younger brother named Sasuke." She nodded ever so slightly, she didn't like where this was going. "Itachi is a missing-nin," he stated bluntly. "Five years ago he murdered everyone in his clan except his younger brother and hasn't been seen since."

Yasumi couldn't breath. She could hear her heartbeat echoing in her ears.

_Itachi__ was a missing-__nin__? He killed his clan? Why would he…How could he…?_

She swallowed down the vile taste in her mouth. She took in a few deep breaths or else she thought she might explode. Itachi, her best friend Itachi-kun, betrayed his clan and village.

_Why…? Why, why, why, why, why, why, why! It isn't true!_

She squeezed her eyes shut to keep out the myriad of memories she had of her and her best friend. It was the only constant thing from the past she had besides Takara and Katsuro. She didn't want to believe it but knew that Grandpa Hokage wouldn't lie to her. He wouldn't lie about something like this about someone who was so important to her. Her hands twitched as she thought of Itachi's actions.

_He betrayed the village…destroyed his clan…he left his brother alone…_

On the last account she could be called a hypocrite, but it wasn't her fault she couldn't go back home and she was so young that she didn't even know she had a brother.

_How could __Itachi__ change so much…? What could have made __Itachi__ do such a thing…?_

Sarutobi watched the young kunoichi take in the full reality of what he had divulged. She seemed to take this harder than the death of her parents which he found unusual. She shook her head a lot as if to make the truth a lie. He recalled the close friendship that she and Itachi had as children. They were prodigies of the highest rank and were equal in all aspects. They shared the exact same strengths and abilities and were simply inseparable since birth. They always pushed each other to do better, much like Naruto and Sasuke did now, but Yasumi and Itachi's friendship was a mutual and friendly interaction. They understood each other and never left the other behind in their progressing ninja career, even when others pitted them against each other. He could bring up a memory where Yasumi told him that she and Itachi were going to be together forever as the greatest ninjas ever. At that time he believed her.

She took in one last breath and swallowed her feelings. "I…understand Grandpa," she smiled weakly at her leader before slowly getting to her feet and walking out the door.

_I understand that I am to forget the friendship I ever had with __Uchiha__Itachi__…_

Seeing her brother she sighed out any negativity she had ingested from that terrible office and went to her brother with a smile. She would forget she ever had a life before Nakaiyo and start a new one with her brother and friends.

"Just lead the way home," she directed. Naruto took the lead and they walked on in silence.

It was an awkward silence that Yasumi was quick to break. "So…Naruto…have any questions for me?" You couldn't imagine her happiness, the pure bliss that she had in her as she gazed at her little brother. At _her_ little brother. But as much as she felt this strong attachment to him, she didn't know anything about him and just popping out of nowhere made everything a bit hard to make easy. She didn't want to force anything, not even a family relation on him.

The normally exuberant blonde had not looked up from the ground and stayed silent. He stopped, suddenly, in the middle of the street. She looked back at him curiously. "Naruto?" When he didn't answer she became worried and kneeled in front of him. "Naruto? Little brother? Are you-" She had a body crush into hers. "-alright?"

"Thank you," he whispered into her ear.

She held him close, getting a feel for him. Ruffling up his hair she smiled. "What are you thanking me for?"

He backed up, wiping the slight dampness around his eyes that he didn't want her to see. "For coming back," he answered faintly.

Yasumi studied him as he shyly kept his eyes glued to the ground. Was his life really that bad here? Her heart constricted. What had these villagers done? Did they hurt her brother this much? Was he really treated like some kind of demon child? She felt incredible anger, not only at the village but at herself. Her little brother had been left alone to fend for himself. He was left all alone in a world where she could have helped and taken care of him. She wasn't there for him, her blood brother, her younger brother, the little brother that she thought was the greatest boy in the world right now.

She felt as if she would scream, but shook away any thoughts of damaging her vocal cords and pulled the blue eyed boy to her. "It's going to be different. Your life is going to be so different now little brother. I'm going to take care of you. Things _will _change," she promised.

Reassuring him with her hug she then backed away. "I think it best we get home now instead of having a soap opera in the middle of the village," she joked.

_So many bad things…I'll be someone you can depend on to be strong for you…_

Naruto shined a bright smile. "Right! My apartment is just over there! Our apartment," he corrected, looking to the older girl.

_It'll be the perfect life…just you and me and everyone else…_

They continued towards the apartment at a slower pace as they asked each other question after question, getting to know each other as siblings should.

**Thank you for reading my story and please leave a review of what you think!**


	2. Start of a Life

**A Chance at Destiny- Ch: 2- Starting of a Life**

**I got such great feedback for this story! I thank all my reviewers for the amazingly positive support on my first chapter and all the many people who put me on story alert!**

**X** x x x x x x **X**

Naruto woke up early as usual to get ready to meet his team. He groggily sat up and went to the bathroom to keep up with good hygiene. When he walked into the kitchen he almost fell back at the scene that greeted him. A tall blonde girl was in front of his stove with her back to him as she moved back and forth, cooking something that smelled delicious. When he thought back to the events of yesterday, he thought he had dreamt up the beautiful blonde girl that claimed to be his sister, but that dream seemed to be reality as, there she was, his sister.

"Oh, good morning Ototo!" she welcomed warmly, moving to the counter between them and leaning against it on her elbows. "Sleep well?"

He nodded mutely, still afraid that this vision of perfection would disappear and he would realize that this was all some odd fantasy buried out from the back of his mind and that he was still very much alone.

"I hope you don't mind eggs and bacon. I bought some milk too. Yours was spoiled and I hope you didn't drink any of it because that could get you really sick." She walked around the counter to him, moved a few locks of his golden hair. "I have to go out now. I'm being mean and not letting Takara and Katsuro get the day off." Quickly serving him a plate of the breakfast she cooked, as well as placing a cup of milk on the table, she hurried on out the door. Making sure to snag an apple from the table on the way, she also gave him a small kiss on the forehead. "Be good Naruto and be careful!"

In the quiet apartment that used to be so cold and empty feeling, the same place that Naruto had lived in since as far back as he could remember, he touched his forehead and thought that for the first time ever, he was home.

**X **x x x x x x **X**

She had arrived at the Uchiha house easily. Even after all these years she still remembered how to get there as if she had never left. After a few loud knocks, someone opened the door. "Yes?" asked Sasuke obviously irritated.

_What a face for nostalgia…_

Yasumi smiled and walked past him, inviting herself in and messing up his midnight hair. "Is Takara still asleep?" she asked, looking up the stairs where she knew the guest rooms of the mansion were.

Glaring at her for walking in like she owned the place he nodded and left her alone. She shared a muted chuckle with the house. He was so angst and so like…she left the thought unfinished.

The blonde girl walked up the stairs slowly, memories coming to her mind involuntarily. This house held so many memories within its sturdy walls. She could practically see the younger her run up the staircase to the room of her childhood friend. As much as she didn't want to think about him it was nearly impossible when she was in this house, in this village.

Immediately finding the one room with the door half slid open she found Takara sprawled on her bedroll completely knocked out. Yasumi smiled fondly and shook the dark haired girl. "Time to wake up Taka-chan!" she tried to arouse the girl gently. Takara stirred and yawned a hello. "When you're all ready and clean and don't look like someone just pulled you out of a ditch, head for the Hyuuga mansion. They have a dojo setting that will be good for training. Katsuro said it was okay." The younger girl nodded into her pillow while Yasumi walked out of the room and slid the door closed. It would be a while before the Uchiha girl decided to wake up, but doing so forcefully would be a foolish thing to do. Yasumim had personal experience.

Letting herself out, the blonde made her way to the Hyuuga mansion. Without much trouble and only two stops for directions she had turned up in front of the large establishment. Feeling a bit small, she knocked on the door. "Can I help you?" asked a Hyuuga woman.

Yasu stood up a bit straighter. "I'm here for Katsuro? Is that okay?"

The woman smiled. "Yes, yes, of course. Welcome to the Hyuuga Residence," she bowed. The blonde girl bowed back tensely. It wasn't that she was unaccustomed to proper manners, it was just the opposite actually, she always prided herself on her knowledge of proper etiquette, but that only went so far. The Hyuugas were a clan that lived in the upper crust of society and had a reputation to maintain, and as such, their women were refined and polished to perfection. To put it simply, this woman's faultless grace made her seem almost clumsy in comparison.

"Katsuro-sama is upstairs on the third room on the right. Do you need me to show you?" she offered.

The seventeen year old shook her head. "I'll be fine, thank you." Yasumi carefully navigated her way to her teammate's room and breathed a sigh of relief when she entered the right room. How embarrassing would it have been if she had ended up in someone else's room? She would have died of humiliation!

Katsuro was sleeping on a bedroll much like Takara was except he laid on it like a normal person. "Katsu-chan," she poked the sleeping boy. "Katsu-chan," she poked again with a smile. "Wake up you lazy bum!" she rolled him off his bed.

"Bitch…" he muttered in his morning daze. He sat up and yawned, rubbing his hair and smiled. "Yesterday was nice," he mumbled groggily. "Met my sisters, they're real pretty and sweet," he told me proudly. "My cousin is kind of creepy though. He didn't stop staring at me with this wicked look for the whole of dinner."

The blonde cocked her head to the side. "Train now, talk later."

He nodded his agreement. "The training area is downstairs. Turn left at the left hand banister and go straight and the right side door should take you outside."

The girl nodded and walked on out to let her friend get dressed. Today was a nice day. Not too sunny, not too cold, the ideal weather for training. Yasumi sat on the backyard porch and looked at the worn fighting area. She sighed. She really wanted to spend the day with her little brother, get inside his head and get to know what made him tick, but she promised her sensei that she would practice with, in her opinion, dumb and dumber.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" asked a stern voice.

The blonde turned her head to her left and saw a teenage male Hyuuga walking across the porch. He had long dark colored hair that hung loose to about mid-back and he wore a headband across his forehead, signifying his ninja status.

_Quite the looker I would say…I wonder what half of the family he's in…?_

Yasumi took careful observation of the headband and noticed that there was another piece of fabric wrapped around his head underneath it.

_Branch._

Yasumi smiled. "My name is Uzumaki Yasumi. I'm here to spar with my teammate, Katsuro."

At the name his eyes seemed to harden. "Aren't you too old to be on the same team as a twelve year old rookie?" he questioned sneeringly.

The older girl was unaffected by his cold attitude. "I'm only seventeen and if you got your facts straight then the truth would be that Katsuro is just too young to be in my team and the only reason we're together is because there wasn't much of a choice. Well, you know my name, would you return the favor?"

"Hyuuga Neji," he answered shortly.

"Sorry about the wait…Yasumi…" Katsuro stopped when he saw his creepy cousin. "Umm…hey Neji."

Neji said nothing and walked through another door. "Anyway…how about we start some training?"

Yasumi nodded with a smile. "Let's see if you can beat your old record!" she added optimistically.

The two stepped into the sparring area and Katsuro took on a fighting stance where both his hands were in front of himself in claws. The girl grinned and moved into a position that had both her palms protecting her in a defensive position. Both were crouched and stared each other down.

The boy's punch was blocked by the girl. "You have to be faster," said the girl, her face close to his. He grunted and continued attacking.

He kicked, she countered. He punched, she dodged. He did an axe kick, she rolled out of the way. He came at her with everything he had, attacking viciously and showing no mercy, but it seemed he didn't need to.

She deflected and blocked with ease as if her opponent was nothing but a small child and not the Hyuuga heir he was. She pivoted and avoided every hit with precision. The Hyuuga was already starting to perspire under the stress he was forcing his body to endure in his struggle to keep up with his teammate's speed. With one last punch the girl had taken the opportunity to flip him over her shoulder and back flipped to put distance between them. Before the boy could recover, in mid-flip, the girl landed on her hands and pushed herself forward into two flips. The second flip landed solidly on her opponent's face. As he fell, she landed on her feet easily.

He tumbled a few feet away. He pushed himself up on fours and rubbed his nose that had gotten the direct force of the kick. He looked up to the seventeen year old who was standing casually waiting for him with her arms crossed and a gentle carefree smile. Katsuro pulled himself up and smiled too. "How long was that?"

"Twenty-three minutes and seventeen seconds," she answered with a grin.

Rubbing the back of his head and making his way to the porch, he sat down. "Oh, you're not out of the game already, are you?" the older teenager whined.

The Hyuuga chuckled. "No, I'm not out, but I think I'll wait for Takara for some help with you."

Yasumi blew a raspberry. "Some boy you are," she teased while taking a seat next to him. She laid flat on her back and looked at the sky that was visible from under the roof of the porch. She took on a wistful look.

Taking note of this the boy decided to initiate a conversation. "What was Konoha like when you were here Yasumi? What was your life like?" he asked with an almost childlike air. He then promptly sniffed a little to soothe his aching nose.

Her lips tugged into a small smile. "It was much like it is now, at least in appearance. I remember living here with my…father and mother. I can still recall a few faces from my childhood, some older people who I use to talk to. Kakashi, Obito, Rin, the Hokage of course, and I couldn't forget my best friend. I've heard from the Hokage though that my best friend…no longer lives here," she closed her eyes.

Katsuro looked at his friend in sympathy. He couldn't remember anything before Nakaiyo so he didn't have any attachments to his home village. But now he had a family, a blood family. He had sisters, a father and a cousin. As he thought of it now, he didn't think he could ever leave them now that he knew they existed. He had only known them for about half a day, but he already felt protective over the twelve year old Hinata and seven year old Hanabi. They showed signs of becoming two of the most beautiful and most sought after girls here and would no doubt get the attention of a few males in the village sooner or later.

"Hello all, I've finally arrived!" yelled a chipper Takara. "I'm here and ready to train now!"

The two other Nakaiyo children shook their head at the tardy girl. She would never change. "Alright! An alter exercise, hand to hand only," instructed the blonde. The other two nodded their understanding and started attacking. One would fight Yasumi and when they were about to fall or couldn't seem to catch their breath they would say switch and the other would step in without slowing the fast pace spar.

All of this and the brief fight before were all witnessed by Hyuuga Neji who had watched them from an opening he had left with the door he had gone through earlier. "The girl is strong …Uzumaki Yasumi." He gazed at the talented blonde for a moment more before leaving the team to their training.

**X** x x x **Takara's side **x x x **X**

She had been escorted halfway by Yasumi because the way home was still new to her, but now the area looked familiar and she walked alone. She walked into the empty Uchiha compound and past the deserted homes. Obsidian eyes studied the houses that surrounded them. _Why is our area so large when no one but us lives here?_

She sighed and comtemplated her new home. Her brother didn't seem to like her. He only spoke to her once yesterday and that was to give her keys to the house and to warn her not to disturb him. Takara glanced at the darkening sky, could she continue like this? Going home to a quiet house every day, she thought she would go mad. Was she really so use to the endless noise that always filled Akira-sensei's home in Nakaiyo that she couldn't go on without it?

She found her keys and opened the door. It was dark and her brother wasn't home yet. This house scared her; it seemed so incredibly morbid to her. _I can't believe that I just admitted that I'm actually afraid of a house!_ Shaking her head she walked into the living room and dropped herself down on the couch. She was sore and didn't feel like moving. Glancing around the living room she felt a distinct emptiness. This nice big compound that had her family name on it didn't feel like home, it didn't feel like anything she would have liked, it felt like a cemetery.

She sighed and turned over. Some sleep would do her good.

**X **x x x **With****Katsuro** x x x **X**

Lying to Yasumi wasn't something he was used to, but then his life seemed to be changing into something indistinguishable. Yesterday hadn't been as nice as he made it look, it was actually extremely taxing and he was weighed down with the burden of an onus he was unprepared for.

Future leader of his entire clan was not in _his_ future plans. The life he had intended for himself was that of an average shinobi and maybe a wife and children to go home to, but it seems those simple dreams were not to be so.

He had a total obligation to his family that he couldn't say no to. This was his family and even though they were forcing this on him, he needed to protect them and to do that he had to become a great leader no matter how unwilling he found himself.

Entering his mansion he walked past a few family members who greeted him formally, he returned the greeting and went the rest of the way to his bedroom hurriedly. He slid the door shut and breathed a sigh of relief. Just walking around his own house was hard. There were so many rules that he was apprehensive about the consequences of breaking one. How would he be reprimanded for it? Everyone was so old fashioned; they still kept to age old traditions. It was so uncomfortable walking around because of his obvious status in the family, people always took a cautious awareness of his presence whenever he was around and it was an abrupt attention he rather not have. He was a private person and liked to blend in and standing out so suddenly was a hard blow against his nature.

There was a knock on his door. "Yes?" he questioned.

"Outside in fifteen minutes," said a deep voice. He stared at the door as he heard the steady footsteps become faint. It was his father.

Rubbing his aching muscles he remembered the placement battle and Jyuuken lessons that he had experienced on his arrival and dreaded what was to come. He slid the door open and trudged to the place he came from. _Training has officially become hell…_

**X** x x x **Yasu** x x x **X**

The Hokage's office was her first stop. To become citizens the village needed their identification and whatnot so as the oldest it was her job to finish the task. When everything was completed she asked about the Chuunin exam, after all, it was the exam that gave them the clearance they needed to go back to Konoha.

"From what I heard from your sensei, Osamu-san and Akira-san, you three have had quite the extensive training and are very much qualified to enter the Chuunin Exam, so much so that they have nominated all three of you to participate."

Yasumi smiled at the praise. It was nice to hear of her guardian's approval after hours of filling out documents for her team to be filed away into Konoha's records. Osamu had been her father figure and teacher for a long time. She had faced the fact that he was just completely out of his mind and as merciless as the devil, but she knew that he was only trying to make her stronger and because of his efforts she had become the ninja she was today. "I'm glad," she bowed. "I will inform my teammates immediately." She made a move to leave, but turned back. "Actually, I wanted to ask you a favor, more like two really…"

**X **x x x x x x **X**

"Be it ever so humble…" She looked at the dishes and bowls that she had placed in the box and taped it shut. "…There's no place like home," she smiled and moved the box with the other ones.

…_Hmm…That just leaves the bed and food in the fridge…_

The Uzumaki apartment now looked bare or at least emptier than it did before. "I think that that is the last of the crap." She clapped the dust off her hands happily.

"Oneesan!" screamed Naruto from the front door as he looked into his cleared apartment. "W-What are you doing?" he asked curiously although his voice also had a hint of distress as he walked farther into his home.

Yasumi let out a long breath as she sank into the living room couch tiredly. "Moving, silly."

Looking at the boxes again he scrunched up his eyes. "I…I don't understand."

The girl smiled softly and went to her little brother and led him to the sofa by his arm, dropping him in the spot next to her and keeping her arm wrapped around his shoulder. They had the perfect view of the little apartment. "_We_ are moving, as in me and you. This is okay for one person, but now the Uzumaki _family_ is a duo and we need a little more space. I asked the Hokage to give me this house I had found interesting before that had been for sale and talked him into giving it to me for a smaller rent," she explained brightly. "So…got anything to say?" She turned to Naruto to see his head down. She frowned.

_He doesn't want to move…well, if he wants to stay here that's fine too…I don't mind..._

Before she could reassure Naruto of his options, he muttered almost inaudibly, "You...you're an angel." Yasumi stared at him with surprise before breaking into a smile.

She gave him a one armed hug and snuggled into him. "No…I'm your big sister," she stated proudly, gazing at her brother with a loving look. The moment was quickly gone when she squeezed him tighter. "God, you're so cute!" she giggled and started to tickle him. They laughed and played the whole night in celebration of their new house.

…_A new life for both of us…together…_

**X **x x x **Next day** x x x **X**

"This is it?"

"This is it," answered the tall blonde as she opened the lock with the keys she had gotten from the Hokage.

They walked into the beautiful white painted house. It was a quite a large house, even bigger for just two people with high ceilings and more than enough room for everything and anything. Yasumi had stared at the few boxes that they had with them and muttered to herself while pointing here and there and imagining where all their belongings would go. Naruto was looking through the house in amazement. "There's four bedrooms up here!" he yelled from the upstairs. "And there's a balcony! Oh, and there's another one over there!"

Yasumi chuckled to herself. _First houses are always the best…_

There was a knock at the door suddenly. "I got it!" screamed Naruto as he plummeted down the staircase. The door swung open and he shrieked. "TEME!"

Yasumi grimaced from her spot in the living room. That didn't sound so good.

**X **x x x x x x **X**

The three members of Team Seven were now sitting quietly on the living room couch that they had helped bring in just a few minutes before. Naruto glared at Sasuke as the dark haired boy completely ignored him. The pink haired girl who introduced herself as Sakura was drinking her tea and not minding the two boys at all. Takara, who had tagged along with her brother, was pawing at her turtle keychain that hung on a long string around her neck.

Yasumi was witnessing all of this from her kitchen chair that she had moved to be in front of them. "When I asked for a team to help out I didn't think that they'd give me your team," she justified. She didn't want her brother to be upset with her.

Said brother's body sagged before he puffed out his chest. "I know Yasu-neechan, it's not your fault!" he assured cheerfully. "I just didn't expect to see Sasuke-teme in front of our house just a few minutes after we walked inside!"

"Don't call Sasuke a bastard, Naruto!" screamed the pink haired girl in anger as she punched the blonde in the head.

The oldest girl in the room brightened up. Her little brother wasn't all alone, he did have friends. Even the Uchiha boy who seemed to act so cold, they were rival-friends, she could tell. "Good, well, I'd tell you to start, but I think you should wait for your sensei. Who is your sensei anyway?" she asked nicely.

Naruto closed his eyes. "You wouldn't want to know him nee-san, he's a pervert who's always reading Icha Icha Paradise books and is always late for everything!" he complained.

Yasumi chuckled at Naruto's description. "I'll be sure to steer clear of him after this cleanup deal, but what's his name?"

"Hatake Kakashi," answered the male Uchiha in the customary Uchiha pose.

The seventeen year old almost fell out of her seat. Not because Sasuke actually talked, but because she only knew one Kakashi. "Kakashi…?" she whispered lowly in her surprise.

"Yo!" came a voice that blew breath in her ear.

She squeaked as she really did fall out of her seat. Looking up she saw the tall, slouched form of a jounin who covered his face with a black mask and blocked his left eye from view with his forehead protector. "Ka…kashi?" she asked.

…_He still wears that stupid mask…_

His eyes became happy arches. "The one and only!" He offered her a hand and pulled her to her feet. "It's been a very long time," he said, looking her up and down.

She blushed violently before slapping him behind the head. "Seems after twelve years you still remain the only person mean enough to scare me at every turn!" she declared, arms folding with a scowl.

He massaged his wound. "Oh, I was only kidding with you. We are friends aren't we?"

She rolled her eyes, but the smile tugging at her mouth gave her away before she totally gave in. She quickly turned around to give her friend a big hug. "Missed you Kashi-kun," she whispered into his ear, loud enough for the four genin to hear.

The four genin were watching the reunion with wide eyes. Sasuke and Sakura couldn't believe that their perverted sensei knew Naruto's amiable sister, Naruto couldn't understand why Yasumi would let that pervert hug her after his warning and Takara was watching in amazement as her teammate actually let a boy touch her.

"Nee-san! What are you doing!" screamed Naruto in outrage.

Yasumi turned to her little brother. "Oh Naruto, I know Kakashi from when I was little!" she informed him happily. "We use to fight all the time," after realizing what she just said she frowned. "That's right, you were always a total jerk to me!" she glared at him accusingly.

He looked sheepishly. "As much as I'm happy for this reunion I think it best that my team gets to work," he changed the subject. "Sakura can put away the dishes and other things while Naruto and Sasuke bring in the boxes and furniture," directed Kakashi.

Yasumi nodded along as the three ninja students went to their tasks. "What exactly will you be doing Kashi-kun?" she asked curiously, all previous anger being forgotten.

He closed his eyes as he smiled under his mask once again. "Catching up on some reading!" he answered before disappearing in a cloud of smoke. The blonde rolled her eyes at her old friend's habits and went off to work.

**X **x x x **Afterwards** x x x **X**

"But he was way hot Yasu-chan! And that mask made him mysterious," listed Takara as she sat in the kitchen of her teammate's new home. She was lazily eating some grapes while discussing why her friend should go out with the silver haired jounin.

"Will you leave me alone? Kashi-kun is an old friend and I barely know him now. It's nice to see him, but I still think of him as my annoying older brother. Seeing him as anything more is just…weird," she shuddered. She was sweeping up and washing every surface of the house. She had done the living room, dining room and two balconies- the kitchen was saved for last.

"Yeah, yeah, all I'm saying is that I've never seen you so comfortable letting a guy touch you and I can't help it if you two make a hot couple," she finished while popping a grape into her mouth.

Naruto ran into the room. "Yasu-neechan! I'm finished!" he announced happily. His stomach growled and he rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

His sister giggled. "And obviously hungry." Wiping her hands on a rag next to the sink she leaned against the counter. "I think you three deserve an extra reward for your troubles. How's lunch sound?" she proposed when she saw Sasuke and Sakura enter the room. "You can come too, you moocher," she teased the Uchiha girl at the table.

"Yosh! You're the greatest!" cheered Naruto. "Let's have ramen!"

Yasumi smiled at his glee. "Ramen it is."

**X **x x x **Destination** x x x **X**

The five genin had taken up most of the seats at the Ichiraku Noodle Bar, but weren't concerned about it. "Hey, Yasu-chan I just realized that you know people from here," stated Takara.

Yasumi sweatdropped. "Yeah, I know, I told you that."

The dark haired girl nodded. "I know, but it didn't really hit me until that Kakashi guy came to see you. I was just wondering about that best friend of yours that you used to tell me and Katsuro about, the quiet one, he was an Uchiha too, right?"

Yasumi wanted to kick Takara to shut her up, but alas, the pale girl sat two seats away. The girl didn't even seem interested in the answer anymore seeing as she went back to scarfing down her free lunch.

Sasuke, however, was now staring at her intently. "Uhh…yeah, he was. I used to hang out with him a lot…a lot more than Kakashi," she changed the subject quickly. "Kakashi used to pick on me all the time."

Naruto and Sakura listened with minimal attention as Takara concentrated on eating and the other Uchiha seemed to almost ignore everyone's presence again. Sasuke reminded her of her old friend more and more. The looks, the personality and the arrogant pride.

_He should grow his hair out…_

"Anyway, if you're all finished then I think I can safely say that you are all done for the day," Yasumi chirped happily. She hopped off her chair and dusted off her pants. "I have to see the Hokage today for the last time for ninja citizenship. Take care you guys! See you later Ototo!" she hollered her farewell before speeding off to the Hokage's tower.

* * *

**I felt that this wasn't as good as my first chapter, but I was a little confused as to where I could start this until ****i**** finally decided on the next morning. The next chapter is almost completely finished and then the fourth chapter is going to have more of ****Naruto's**** feelings and a bit more on Takara and ****Katsuro's**** lives.**

**Thanks for reading and after all the people who put me on their alert list I would like a few more reviews...I'd appreciate it!**


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